Communication apparatus capable of traffic controlling in serial connected queues

Abstract

A communication apparatus includes a plurality of first queues to which priorities or predetermined bandwidths are assigned respectively, a plurality of second queues which are corresponded to any of the plurality of first queues and to which the priorities are assigned respectively, a first writing portion which writes data blocks into any of the plurality of second queues or any of the plurality of first queues which is not corresponded to the second queues in accordance with a rule, a second writing portion which reads the data blocks stored in the plurality of second queues in order of the priorities assigned to the second queues respectively, and writes the data blocks into at least one of the first queues which is corresponded to the second queues, and a transmitting portion which reads the data blocks stored in the plurality of first queues in order of the priorities assigned to the first queues respectively or at time intervals corresponding to the bandwidths assigned to the first queues respectively, and transfers the data blocks to the communication network.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A communication apparatus, comprising:
 a plurality of first queues to which priorities or predetermined bandwidths are assigned respectively, the plurality of first queues being in a first layer of hierarchy; 
 a plurality of second queues which are connected to one of the plurality of the first queues in a series connection, the plurality of second queues being in a second layer of hierarchy which is different than the first layer of hierarchy, each second queue of the plurality of second queues having a priority assigned thereto, respectively; and 
 a controller which: 
 writes data blocks into the plurality of second queues and at least one of the plurality of first queues which is not connected to the second queues in accordance with a rule; 
 reads the data blocks stored in the plurality of second queues in order of the priorities assigned to the second queues respectively, and writes the data blocks read from the plurality of second queues into the one of the plurality of first queues which is connected to the second queues in the series connection; and 
 reads the data blocks stored in the plurality of first queues in order of the priorities assigned to the first queues respectively or at time intervals corresponding to the bandwidths assigned to the first queues respectively, and transmits the data blocks to a communication network. 
 
     
     
       2. The communication apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the controller sets the rule;
 wherein each of the data blocks includes a header portion which has a communication address indicating a destination or a sender and either an application identifier indicating an application program for receiving the data blocks or an application program for transmitting the data blocks or a priority identifier indicating priorities of the data blocks; and 
 wherein the rule defines that the data blocks are respectively written into the plurality of second queues and the at least one of the plurality of first queues on the basis of at least one of the communication address, the application identifier and the priority identifier contained in the header portion of each of the data blocks. 
 
     
     
       3. The communication apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the controller sets the rule;
 wherein each of the data blocks includes a header portion which has a communication address indicating a destination or a sender and either a port number indication application indicating an application program for receiving the data blocks or an application program for transmitting the data blocks or a precedence value in a TOS field of the header portion indicating priorities of the data blocks; and 
 wherein the rule defines that the data blocks are respectively written into the plurality of second queues and the at least one of the plurality of first queues on the basis of at least one of the communication address, the port number indication application and the precedence value in the TOS field contained in the header portion of each of the data blocks.